This invention relates to door latches, and relates particularly to latches that are usable to hold doors of vehicles such as recreational vehicles ("RV's") releasably in closed positions. The invention is particularly useful in RV's in which specially shaped doors create special problems of secure latching.
There is a real need for an improved latch assembly that will hold the doors of RV's and similar vehicles securely and tightly closed during high-speed highway travel, and also in case of accidents that can lead to overturning or even rolling of the vehicle. A particular problem exists for doors of irregular shapes such as the "cab" doors where one side portion of the door follows the slope of the windshield and thus does not lie along the hinge axis of the door. The upper portion of the sloped side of such a door cannot be hinged directly to the frame.
The present invention has as its principal objective the provision of a novel latch assembly for the secure latching of such a door, the latch assembly being smooth and easy to operate, capable of being concealed, and highly effective to secure the door releasably in the closed position.